Men Have a Better Sense of Direction Than Women, Study Says

In classic men versus women moment, it looks like there might be a partial answer to the age-old road trip question, “honey, are we lost?”

This week, a look at who may have the better sense of direction.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy." - Robert Louis Stevenson, (Scottish author, 1850 - 1894)

Men Have a Better Sense of Direction Than Women, Study Says by fredwine

There's a Scientific Reason Why You're Ignoring People Study Says

Now there is proof it's not my fault.

This week, why some people ignore others.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together." - Garrison Keillor (from Leaving Home, American author, 1942 - )

There's a Scientific Reason Why You're Ignoring People Study Says by fredwine

How Pancakes and Waffles Divide the Nation

Pancakes or waffles, waffles or pancakes. Both contain eggs, flour and leavening, and they are both served for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or anytime. Pancakes are brown on the outside, but they are soft and spongy with an interior that looks a lot like cake. Waffles, on the other hand, are crisp on the outside and light on the inside, like beignets, funnel cakes, hush puppies or doughnuts.

Which is better? That's a personal choice. Does then even have to be a winner? Powdered sugar or syrup, butter or jam, aren't they both just yummy? Next time, make both and invite me.

This week, a look at  pancakes versus waffles.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." - Mark Twain (US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit, 1835 - 1910)

   How Pancakes and Waffles Divide the Nation by fredwine

How The Ballpoint Pen Killed Cursive

I tend to move between printing and cursive with ease. Cursive is defeinitely faster, but turns out to be sometimes illegible even to me. I prefer typing, as it is relatively fast and always easy to read.

Did technology spell the end of cursive writing? Or was it something else?

This week, a look at how the ballpoint pen killed cursive.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember." - Eugene McCarthy (US politician, 1916 - 2005)

   How the Ballpoint Pen Killed Cursive

Is That Water Hot Enough to Kill Germs?

Much like the porridge Goldilocks sampled at the home of the Three Bears,water for washing dishes can be too hot or too cold, or be just right. Unlike porridge, you can usually make up for incorrect temperature with friction and/or soaking. I prefer the dishwasher option, as it is inevitably easier and almost always "just right".

This week, a look at washing dishes.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I have found that if you love life, life will love you back." - Arthur Rubinstein (US (Polish-born) composer & pianist, 1886 - 1982)

   Is That Water Hot Enough to Kill Germs?

An Appeal to Our Inner Judge

In "Blink," Malcolm Gladwell wrote about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant - in the blink of an eye - that actually aren’t as simple as they seem.

Are these choices always correct? Nope. Even Gladwell indicates they aren't 100% accurate. So what can we do about it?

This week, a look at appealing to our inner judgement about that blink of an eye.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family." - Mother Teresa (Indian (Albanian-born) humanitarian & missionary, 1910 - 1997)

   An Appeal to Our Inner Judge

Looking for a Breakthrough? Study Says to Make Time for Tedium

Daily life is full of tedium and minutiae. We need to go to work and pay our bills and write to-do lists and tie our shoelaces and buy groceries. We need to spend time in the tedium of everyday life.

The danger of accepting our need for routine and familiarity is that we can become too comfortable. Getting outside of our comfort zones can help us learn, lead us to personal growth and improve our memories. And the more risks, novelty, and uncomfortable experiences we expose ourselves to the more our comfort zone grows.

This week, a look at making time for the tedium to help innovation break through.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "You can't deny laughter. When it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants." - Stephen King (US horror novelist & screenwriter, 1947 - )

   Looking for a Breakthrough? Study Says to Make Time for Tedium

When You’re in Charge, Your Whisper May Feel Like a Shout

It has been said that good parenting is less about following rules and more about assessing your child’s needs; so it goes with the storyteller’s drive to command attention from an audience. When we identify the needs and interests of our audience, we are able to bring both surprise and familiarity to the engagement, which transports them to a place that is new and imaginative, but also safe and comfortable.

As leaders, we know shouting uses the element of surprise, which can be effective. However, if all you do is shout, eventually you don't get heard. To whisper is to use the element of familiarity. But without trust, a whisper is only a whisper. 

This week, a look at how authority amplifies words.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "It is characteristic of all deep human problems that they are not to be approached without some humor and some bewilderment." - Freeman Dyson (US (English-born) physicist, 1923 - ) 

   When You’Re in Charge, Your Whisper May Feel Like a Shout

The sound of old people laughing: lol

Laughter is a form of communication that is universally recognized. It's thought that laughter may have occurred before humans could speak as a playful way for mothers and infants to communicate, as a form of play vocalization, or to strengthen group bonds. Even today our brains are wired to prime us to smile or laugh when we hear others laughing.
 
It doesn't matter what my digital laughter looks like, does it? Or does it? Am I old? Don't answer that. I'm still laughing and I don't care how it looks in print.
This week, Part 3 of 3 on Laughing in the Digital Age.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Fools rush in where fools have been before." - Unknown

   The Sound of Old People Laughing Lol by fredwine

The Not-So-Universal Language of Laughter

Big data is a broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. What happens when big data meets eLaughter? More than we may want to know, but I'll admit the data is interesting, in a geeky way of course.

This week, Part 2 of 3 on Laughing in the Digital Age.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I have only one superstition. I touch all the bases when I hit a home run." - Babe Ruth (US baseball player, 1895 - 1948)

   The Not-So-Universal Language of Laughter by fredwine

Hahaha

Anyone who knows me knows I like to laugh. It takes less resources that crying (typically no tissues are involved) and it can be considered exercise for those of us who limit themselves to jumping to conclusions, carrying things too far or pushing our luck.

It's relatively easy to laugh in person, but how about through social media? Digital technologies have changed everything (or so we're led to believe), so how about laughter?
 
This week, Part 1 of 3 on Laughing in the Digital Age.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Language is the source of misunderstandings." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery (French writer, 1900 - 1944)

   Hahaha by fredwine

A New Map of How We Think Top Brain Bottom Brain

You may have heard people describe themselves as strictly "right-brained" or "left-brained," with the left-brainers bragging about their math skills and the right-brainers touting their creativity. The brain is divided down the middle into two hemispheres, with each half performing a fairly distinct set of operations.

In general, the left hemisphere is dominant in language: processing what you hear and handling most of the duties of speaking. It's also in charge of carrying out logic and exact mathematical computations. When you need to retrieve a fact, your left brain pulls it from your memory.

The right hemisphere is mainly in charge of spatial abilities, face recognition and processing music. It performs some math, but only rough estimations and comparisons. The brain's right side also helps us to comprehend visual imagery and make sense of what we see. It plays a role in language, particularly in interpreting context and a person's tone.

While brain asymmetry allows the two sides of the brain to become specialized, increasing its processing capacity and avoiding situations of conflict (where both sides of the brain try to take charge), isn't it the whole brain that matters? Two halves make a whole, right?

This week, another look at how we look at the brain.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." - Eleanor Roosevelt (First Lady, US diplomat & reformer, 1884 - 1962)

   A New Map of How We Think: Top Brain / Bottom Brain by fredwine

Fear of Ruin as Disease Takes Hold of Italy’s Olive Trees

First it was Europe’s ash trees under threat from disease. Now it’s the continent’s olives in the firing line. A killer pathogen that has established itself in southern Italy is now “very likely” to spread, posing a major risk to European olive trees.

This week, a look the peril facing Italy's olive trees.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns." - Sir Winston Churchill (British politician, 1874 - 1965)

   Fear of Ruin as Disease Takes Hold of Italy’s Olive Trees by fredwine

For an Aging Brain, Looking for Ways to Keep Memory Sharp

In many ways, the mind is still a scientific mystery and we are constantly trying to understand it more. One thing is certain though: your brain can deteriorate if you don't take care of it. 

Hey, it's not all bad news. Some studies show the aging brain is more capable than its younger counterpart at creativity and innovation, which means my best days thinking are yet to come. But memory tends to be fleeting, regardless of which side of the study you tend to favor.

This week, a look at how to keep your memory sharp as the brain ages.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If a dog jumps in your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer." - Alfred North Whitehead (English mathematician & philosopher, 1861 - 1947)

   For an Aging Brain, Looking for Ways to Keep Memory Sharp

Water Flowing From Toilet to Tap May Be Hard to Swallow

Reclaimed water or recycled water, is former wastewater (sewage) that is treated to remove solids and impurities, and used in sustainable landscaping irrigation, and to meet commercial and industrial water needs.

It can also be used to recharge groundwater aquifers and for drinking, which is what drought weary California needs to consider the next logical step. After all, the Fremen of the desert planet Arrakis wore stillsuits with internal recycling systems that lost an average of a thimbleful of water a day. Hey, if recycled water is good enough for Paul Atreides, it's good enough for me..

This week, a look at the ultimate way to recycle water.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Everybody likes to go their own way -- to choose their own time and manner of devotion." - Jane Austen (English novelist, 1775 - 1817)

   Water Flowing From Toilet to Tap May Be Hard to Swallow by fredwine

7 Myths (and Truths) About Olive Oil

"Olive oil" is how we refer to the oil obtained from the fruit of olive trees (Olea europaea; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. The oil is produced by pressing whole olives and is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps, and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps.

Millions of people are involved in olive oil production throughout the world and the culture of olive oil is rich and vital. And like anything that has value, the facts can be manipulated to fit your particular needs.

This week, a look at myths and truths about olive oil.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If you have accomplished all that you planned for yourself, you have not planned enough." - Edward Everett Hale (US author & Unitarian clergyman, 1822 - 1909)

   7 Myths (and Truths) About Olive Oil by fredwine

Five Surprising Facts About Mushrooms

For some, there is very little more delectable and savory than a thinly sliced sauteed mushroom. For others, it is a slimy inedible mess best left for others.  Regardless of if you like or hate them, they are good for you, as long as you avoid the poisonous ones.

This week, a look at five surprising facts about mushrooms.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine." - Sir Arthur Eddington (English astronomer, 1882 - 1944)

   Five Surprising Facts About Mushrooms

Five Common Food Safety Kitchen Mistakes

Food safety is important and preventing foodborne illness should be top of mind. Whether you’re cooking a five-course meal or preparing food for a tailgating party, it’s crucial to know how to keep your food safe, especially when cooking for family and friends..

This week, a look at five common food safety kitchen mistakes.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I show up. I listen. I try to laugh." - Anna Quindlen (American Journalist, 1953 - )

   5 Common Food Safety Kitchen Mistakes

The Best Mix of Cheeses to Put on Your Pizza, According to Science

Cheese, it has been said, it milk's leap towards immortality. And what better way to celebrate that long life than to put it on pizza?

Science aims to answer a question that's puzzled mankind ever since the dish was created: which cheese? Turns out the answer is mozzarella, like that was a real surprise.

This week, a look at the interplay between cheeses on a pizza once they're baked.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy." - Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish author, 1850 - 1894)

   The Best Mix of Cheeses to Put on Your Pizza, According to Science

Our Ability to Digest Alcohol May Have Been Key to Our Survival

As if I needed to tell you that...

This week, a look at digesting alcohol and survival of the species.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed." - Grenville Kleiser (North American author of a long list of inspirational books and guides to oratorical success and personal development, 1868-1935)

   Our Ability to Digest Alcohol May Have Been Key to Our Survival

History of Food Safety in the U.S. - Part 3

We've come a long way, baby.

This week, Part 3 of 3 on the History of Food Safety in the U.S.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (US essayist & poet, 1803 - 1882)

   History of Food Safety in the U.S. Part 3